Élodie Lefaix - Josefina #35

Trained in catering, a profession to which her parents devoted themselves, and after opening several restaurants, Élodie found her true passion in photography.

Versatile entrepreneur and mother of three children, she loves spending time and traveling around the world with her family.

Élodie is our Josefina of the month for January.

Élodie, as a photographer, where do you find your inspiration?

I am inspired by everything around me, nature, light, a place, a moment of life, a book... magic is everywhere, whoever lets it into their life.

You also had other trades; can you tell us about your background?

After studying applied arts with the project of working in fashion, I changed paths and went to study in a hotel school (my parents were in the restaurant business, we were immersed in it during our childhood), I met my lover there, then we worked in quite a few establishments near our home. A few years later Pablo was born and my passion for photography grew, I created a blog, a website, an instagram page and started my own business in 2012 while keeping my job in a restaurant near of the House.

A few months later, photography had taken a huge place in my life, so it was only natural that I decided to devote myself to it full time, I was mainly doing wedding / family / birth / decoration reports at this time. period. Then in 2014, we decided to open our first restaurant with my darling, then 2, then 3, then a food truck... 7 years (and 3 children on the clock) passed before we decided to take a break in the middle of the restoration and to let everything go.

So I naturally resumed full-time photography (I never really stopped by the way), but this time more in advertising, fashion, decoration, and influence on the networks... I love my job, but I still miss business.

At the same time, we bought a small country house that we completely renovated ourselves, then we rented it for tourism. A real joy to bring abandoned places back to life.
I need to constantly have new projects to move forward, I like to undertake several things at the same time, my brain rarely pauses. The important thing is to reinvent ourselves if that no longer suits us. One thing is certain, I could never have had a single job in my life.

You are the mother of 3 children; How do you find your balance between your professional activities and your personal life?

I like being close to my children, they are real rays of sunshine in my life, but I also need to go out, see people, and take time for myself. Currently I work both outside and at home, which allows me to work as much as possible when the children are at school. I have learned to listen to myself over the years, and I am convinced that our children feel good when we feel good as parents.

I try to be more often available when they need it, and I take advantage of them 1000% since we decided to take a break from catering.

What do you like the most in your life as a mom?

I like to pass on to my children the value of things, I like to share moments around a recipe, tell them a story in the evening, shower them with kisses, guide them when they get lost, watch them grow and bloom a little more every day, it's magic.
I often tell them that the greatest wealth we have is that of the heart, I hope they will keep this sentence in mind all their life

Do you have any style and beauty advice for pregnant women?

I would say that the most important thing when you are pregnant is to listen to yourself, listen to your body, wear comfortable things. Continue to do what we love if we can, and take advantage of this moment of life to be pampered by our loved ones.
Taking care of yourself is also taking care of your baby.

You travel a lot ; what are the perfect destinations with young children according to you?

We always travel with our children. We can travel anywhere with small children, as long as they are surrounded by our love. Jude was barely 4 months old when we left for Indonesia.
I would say that Asia in general is quite simple with children, the people are adorable, the food is good, there are magnificent places.

Our favorite destinations with children: Bali, Sri Lanka, Mexico.

Who are the people who inspire you as a mom?

My children of course <3

Which Josefina did you choose? For what reasons?

I chose the Josefina Cabin Travel Bag because it is perfect for family weekends, I also use it regularly as a camera bag to store and transport my equipment, but it would also make a perfect changing bag because it is large and there are plenty of pockets to store everything.

What's in your Josefina?

Camera, diary, water bottle, nappies, pacifiers, pencil cases, coloring book, purse, lipstick... a real bag of Mary Poppins (and mother of 3 children) ;)